England might not be hitting the performance heights of their triumphant European Championship campaign but have instead relied on a strong World Cup mentality on their journey to the semi-finals.
The quarter-final victory against Colombia was the third single‑goal win of the tournament for England, in addition to the penalty shootout triumph against Nigeria. It is a sign that despite not being at their free-flowing best these new-look Lionesses have the fortitude to get through tough situations.
England did not play particularly well against Colombia and do not look like a side that will blow an opponent away, which makes the defence even more important than usual. The adaptability of the England squad has been crucial throughout the tournament. Sarina Wiegman has selected a 3-5-2 formation in recent games after starting the tournament with a back four. England have been solid throughout, conceding only twice in their five fixtures.
I think England deserve a lot of credit for putting their bodies on the line in a unified performance to defeat Colombia. We have not needed to see this attitude under Wiegman until now. We are used to possession‑based football and dominating opponents, which has played a part in New Zealand and Australia, but the defence is the key component for success.
After the quarter-final the players and manager spoke of their resilience and it is an important trait to have in tournament football.
Frustration will, however, abound over the Colombia goal. England were too deep and not tight enough to their opponents, allowing the cross/shot to come in but Mary Earps will feel like she could have done better, although she was excellent from that moment on. The players were disappointed to concede a goal such as that but they did not allow their heads to drop and showed their mentality by getting the equaliser soon after. Few would have predicted six or 12 months ago that this would be the shape and first XI of the Lionesses at the World Cup, but they are rising to the challenge. It is a mentality thing: they never let their heads go down. If something goes wrong, they go again.
At the other end of the pitch, Alessia Russo proved her worth with a fine winner. She has really impressed me in this campaign; she has done the most pressing of any England player, been instrumental in buildup play, held the ball up well, coped with the physical battle and, despite being left isolated, has performed her duties impeccably. All that strikers are judged on is goals and while she has had more shots on target than any other player in the tournament, Saturday’s winner was only her second goal. Against Colombia she showed how clinical she can be when the ball falls to her.
Now they face the co-hosts Australia in the semi‑final on Wednesday. We all witnessed the difference a home crowd made to the England squad when they won the European Championship last summer and Australia are enjoying a similar boon. In those tight matches, it makes a big difference to have a packed stadium behind the team, providing a hostile atmosphere. It will make things difficult for England but they are used to it and will have their own coping mechanisms, aided by having played in front of a healthy contingent of Colombia fans, although it will be turned up a few notches when the Matildas take to the pitch for their first World Cup semi-final.
This is the deciding game for me because whoever wins will be the favourites going into the final. I always thought Australia would be there or thereabouts and with Sam Kerr coming back into the fold it gives them a huge boost. It is a question of how long she will last and whether Tony Gustavsson can play her from the start or allows her to have an impact off the bench later on – I think it will be the latter.
In the entirety of Wiegman’s tenure, I have seen the team’s heads drop only once, which was against Australia in the April friendly. That is 37 matches and a lot of minutes and they have only lost their way once. They will be desperate not to repeat this on Wednesday.
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I think England are settled with the 3-5-2 and the defence is currently the most important aspect of the team so Wiegman might not want to adjust at this stage but she knows this is a very adaptable team if the situation requires a change. Australia historically let their opponents have the ball and they will wait for the Lionesses to give it away and hit them on the counterattack. This is why sticking with the same formation would be useful for England – by having the extra bodies in defence, it would make a counter less effective, in theory. They are dangerous on the break because they have quick players such as Hayley Raso and Caitlin Foord – and that’s before we consider the return to fitness of Kerr.
Wiegman admits to being disappointed with how England have been in possession and they will need to improve for the semi-final. If they give the ball away and are sloppy, Australia have the potential to punish mistakes. England have got away with a few things in recent matches against sides who are not as clinical, and Australia could be the side to punish the Lionesses.
England have reached three consecutive World Cup semi-finals and hopefully this will be third time lucky. To go from losing five of the European Championship final starting lineup in 12 months – forcing a change of shape, look and feel to the side – to being in the final four this summer is an incredible achievement for this headstrong squad. They will not fear what lies ahead.
